Regent Hosts Annual Roundtables

By Brett Wilson | May 28, 2014

Dr. Kathleen Patterson.

In a business market where "dog-eat-dog" is considered the norm, Regent University serves as the nexus of servant leadership exploration. From May 9-10, this theory that encourages leaders to put the needs of their followers first was explored by the School of Business & Leadership (SBL) Annual Roundtables of Leadership Research & Practice.

This year's event featured guest speakers Larry C. Spears, president and CEO of the Larry C. Spears Center for Servant-Leadership, and Bob Coughlin '06 (Business & Leadership), vice president of Product Integrity for Kids II™.

The 2014 roundtables provided SBL students with an opportunity to present their research to world-renowned practitioners and scholars of several different facets of leadership. Every year, students are invited to explore the academic realms of Biblical principles in leadership, leadership coaching and consulting, leading transformative innovation and servant leadership.

"It's really great when you bring together scholars from all over the world to enjoy a topic that is near and dear to all of us," said Dr. Kathleen Patterson '04 (Business & Leadership), SBL professor and chair of the 12th annual Servant Leadership Research Roundtable.

"We have people from all over the world attend every year. The only continent we haven't pulled from is Antarctica," Patterson said with a laugh. "And believe me, if I could figure out how to do that, I totally would."

Patterson explained when the research roundtables began, the "servant leadership ideal" began as the "nucleus" for the event. But Patterson's passion for servant leadership took on a new meaning for her while she was pursuing her higher education at Regent.

"I had never even heard of it before I came to Regent University," said Patterson. "I came from a business perspective; I was sitting in class thinking, 'wow, that's what it's called.' I knew it from a perspective of life and leadership, but I never knew the terminology."

Patterson hopes that the leadership roundtables will not only continue to pave the way for Regent's recognition in the scholarly community, but that it will also encourage prospective students to gain "front-row access" to the top scholars in the world, and foster the "heart matter" of leadership.

"We're all on a leadership journey to serve and love others," said Patterson. "We're told to love God and love our neighbors; and if we're showing the love of God, we're going to love other people."